Something is wrong with my car...

[Kroze]

I was turning it on last night and it make some rattling noise. I checked and found out that if i slide the heater meter to cold rather than hot, the noise would stop. If i slide the heat meter to hot (all the way to the right), the noise would continued to rattle as if there's something stuck in the heater....can anyone clear me of what's wrong with it?

 

[notfred]

Is the noise coming from the dash, or the engine compartment?

I was running the AC in my car yesterday... I love california

 

[Brutuskend]

Thats wierd..

By temp meter do you mean the thermostat (which controls the amount of coolent that goes to the heater core) or the fan control?

If it's the fan control, you probably have something stuck in the fan housing. If it's the temp control, I have NO clue why it could cause a noise. As I said, all it does is control the flow of coolent.

What kind of car is it anyway?

 

[yellowvespa]

Check your coolant level. Sounds like percolation caused by a low fluid level. Check it after the car has cooled an hour or so to avoid burns. Some engines require the cooling systems to be air bled. Consult a qualified shop if you see that it is very low.

 

[boomerang]

yellowvespa's advice is spot on. When you turn the temp control to off, you are stopping the coolant flow through the heater core and the noise stops. Don't ignore this too much longer, a coolant level this low can cause major engine damage. The level can be so low that the "hot" light will not come on, or the temp guage will not indicate correctly that the car is overheating.

 

[Thegonagle]

I agree with Yellowvespa and Boomerang.

Also, find out why the coolant is low. In a properly functioning system, it doesn't go anywhere. You may have a leak somewhere that needs to be addressed. Low coolant is a serious problem.

 

[Brutuskend]

I thought about that aswell. But it really doesn't sound right. If it was that, it would make noise if the heater was on or not. It would perc. in the radiator not the heater core since there is nothing to cause additional heat in the core. Since it only happens when the heater is turned on, I don't think thats it.

Also for the coolent to be hot enough to Perc. the engine would have to be running WAY to hot, in which case the temp guage and or idiot light would be on.

One thing it could be (though it's a bit of a long shot) is this.
The temp control lever uses a cable that goes to either a valve on the engine or to a valve someplace in the coolent system. When you adjust the temp. it opens this valve. It could be that the end of the cable has come loose from the valve and it hitting either the fan or one of the fan belts.

This is of course if THAT is the lever thats causing the trouble, and NOT the lever that controls fan speed.

Which is it??

 

[Kroze]

The noise came from the Compartment. Not from the engine (under the hood). Everything runs fine. Oh and the car doesn't seem to said that my car is overheating or anything. the overheating meter always stays in the middle instead of indicating that the car is overheating. Well let me check to see if my car is low on coolant tomorrow. That's what i don't understand though, if i'm low on coolant, then the heat meter should indicated that my car is overheating instead of it staying in the middle where it indicate the car is operating at normal temperature.

 

[Brutuskend]

If it's comming from inside, it's a pretty safe bet it's something inside the heater fan housing. It's not unusual for something to fall down a defroster vent and end up in the fan housing. Missing a pen or something that WAS laying on your dash?

Have kids that put small toy's up there?

 

[Brutuskend]

What if anything did you find out?